Rabbit knee model of post-traumatic joint contractures: the long-term natural history of motion loss and myofibroblasts.

Our objective is to describe the natural history of motion loss with time and myofibroblast numbers in a rabbit knee model of post-traumatic joint contractures. Twenty-eight skeletally mature New Zealand White female rabbits had five-mm-squares of cortical bone removed from the medial and lateral femoral condyles of the right knee. A Kirschner wire (K-wire) was used to immobilize the knee joint in maximum flexion.

Continuous intrathecal infusion of hydromorphone: safety in the sheep model and clinical implications.

Objective: To determine the safety of hydromorphone delivered by continuous intrathecal infusion via implanted delivery systems in sheep.

Design: Sheep implanted with intrathecal infusion systems were randomly assigned to receive either 1.5, 3, or 6 mg/day hydromorphone HCl or saline control (3 sheep/dose level) at a fixed infusion rate of 1.

A new method to measure post-traumatic joint contractures in the rabbit knee.

A new device and method to measure rabbit knee joint angles are described. The method was used to measure rabbit knee joint angles in normal specimens and in knee joints with obvious contractures. The custom-designed and manufactured gripping device has two clamps.

Gene intervention in ligament and tendon: current status, challenges, future directions.

Ligament and tendon injuries are common clinical problems. Healing of these tissues occurs, but their properties do not return to normal. This predisposes to recurrent injuries, instability and arthritis, loss of motion and weakness.

[Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica].

Tracheobronchopathia osteochondroplastica (TO) is a rare disease of unknown etiology affecting mainly the trachea and large bronchi. It is characterized by the presence of multiple submucosal osseus and/or cartilaginous nodules. The authors report a case of 74-year-old woman in whom fiberoptic bronchoscopy, performed because of hemoptysis, revealed typical feature of TO.

Safety of chronic intrathecal morphine infusion in a sheep model.

Background: The safety of chronically administered intrathecal morphine has been questioned. Therefore, the authors examined the behavioral and neurologic effects and neurotoxicity of continuous intrathecal morphine administration in sheep.

Methods: Groups of three sheep were implanted with intrathecal infusion systems for the continuous administration of morphine (3, 6, 9, 12, or 18 mg/day) or saline at a fixed infusion rate of 1.

Chronically infused intrathecal morphine in dogs.

Background: Despite the extensive use of intrathecal morphine infusion for pain, no systematic safety studies exist on its effects in high concentrations. The authors assessed the effects of morphine and clonidine given 28 days intrathecally in dogs.

Methods: Beagles with lumbar intrathecal catheters received solutions delivered by a vest-mounted infusion pump.

Stability and compatibility of morphine-clonidine admixtures in an implantable infusion system.

Nonopioid analgesics are often coadministered with intrathecal morphine to increase efficacy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate stability and compatibility of morphine-clonidine admixtures with an implantable infusion system that is commonly used to treat pain patients. Infusion systems were filled with admixture and maintained at 37 degrees C for 90 days.

The fate of endothelial function testing: rationale and design of the Firefighters And Their Endothelium (FATE) study.

Endothelial dysfunction plays a pivotal role in the development and progression of atherosclerotic vascular disease. The endothelium is strategically located between blood and vascular smooth muscle, making it both vulnerable to a variety of injurious stimuli but also available for interrogation as a marker of vascular health. Firefighters And Their Endothelium (FATE) is a prospective, longitudinal cohort study designed to assess the relationship between endothelial function, emerging cardiovascular risk factors and ultimately atherosclerotic vascular disease.

Exogenous transforming growth factor beta 1 alone does not improve early healing of medial collateral ligament in rabbits.

Objective: To determine whether transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta1) improves early ligament healing.

Design: Experimental, controlled study of medial collateral ligaments (MCLs) in rabbits' knees.

Setting: Research laboratory.

Response of donor and recipient cells after transplantation of cells to the ligament and tendon.

The mechanical properties of healing ligaments and tendons are not comparable to those of normal tissue. To improve the quality of the ligament healing, therapeutic strategies include gene transfer or placement of mesenchymal stem cells at the healing site. Studies show that marker genes, growth factors, and antisense oligonucleotides can be delivered to both normal and healing ligaments and tendons by gene transfer.

Chelation therapy for ischemic heart disease: a randomized controlled trial.

Context: Chelation therapy using EDTA is an unproven but widely used alternative therapy for ischemic heart disease.

Objective: To determine if current EDTA protocols have a favorable impact on exercise ischemia threshold and quality of life measures in patients with stable ischemic heart disease.

Design: Double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial conducted between January 1996 and January 2000.

Stability and compatibility of hydromorphone hydrochloride in an implantable infusion system.

With the exception of morphine, hydromorphone is the most commonly used intrathecal opioid for the treatment of intractable pain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the stability and compatibility of hydromorphone in the implantable infusion system that is most commonly used in these patients. Hydromorphone solution was incubated at 37 degrees C in infusion system reservoirs and with individual materials which comprise the fluid pathway of the infusion system.

Stability, compatibility, and safety of intrathecal bupivacaine administered chronically via an implantable delivery system.

Objective: The only agent approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for chronic intrathecal infusion for the treatment of chronic pain is morphine sulfate.

Dorsal perilunate dislocations and fracture-dislocations: questionnaire, clinical, and radiographic evaluation.

Twenty-two consecutive patients (23 wrists) underwent open reduction internal fixation of dorsal perilunate dislocations and fracture-dislocations through combined dorsal and volar approaches. One of 5 experienced wrist surgeons performed these procedures within an average of 3 days of injury (range, 0-26 days) and intercarpal fixation was kept within the proximal carpal row. Motion was instituted an average of 10 weeks (range, 5-16 weeks) after injury.

Risperidone in the treatment of dopamine-induced psychosis in Parkinson's disease: an open pilot trial.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of risperidone in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) who are experiencing significant dopamine-induced psychosis.

Patients And Methods: Seventeen patients (median age, 72 yrs) participated in this 12-week, open pilot study receiving 0.5 to 3 mg oral risperidone per day.

Functional outcome of semiconstrained total elbow arthroplasty.

Background: The objective of the present study was to review the results of primary total elbow arthroplasty with use of the Coonrad-Morrey prosthesis. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) the results in patients with inflammatory arthritis would be superior to those in patients with a traumatic or posttraumatic condition, and (2) the isometric extensor torque after total elbow arthroplasty would be significantly less than that of the contralateral elbow.

Methods: Forty-seven consecutive patients (fifty-one elbows) had the operation performed by one of three surgeons between November 1, 1989, and June 30, 1996.

Fall risk factors in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia, gait disturbance, and postural instability. Patients with PD suffer frequent falls, yet little research has been done to identify risks specific to PD patients. The objective of this study was to identify the risk factors associated with falls for PD patients through the collection of demographic, environmental, and medical information as well as fall diaries completed during a 3-month period.

Soybean Yield Loss to Sudden Death Syndrome in Relation to Symptom Expression and Root Colonization by Fusarium solani f. sp. glycines.

Field studies were conducted to determine the relationships between soybean yield and foliar disease index (FDX) of sudden death syndrome (SDS) as well as root colonization by Fusarium solani f. sp. glycines, the causal agent.

Dry supplementary feeding programmes: an effective short-term strategy in food crisis situations.

Malnutrition is frequently a predominant problem in disasters, and supplementary feeding programmes (SFPs) are often set up in food emergencies. This review analyses the effectiveness of such programmes in crisis situations in Liberia, Burundi and Goma (Congo), concluding that it is feasible to enrol large numbers of children in SFPs and achieve proportions of recovery above 75% if these programmes are implemented as a short-term measure in emergency situations. However, satisfactory SFP results do not necessarily indicate improved nutritional status of the whole population.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of vitamin A in Mozambican children hospitalized with nonmeasles acute lower respiratory tract infections.

Objective: The objective of this study was to test the potential of routine vitamin A supplementation at admission to speed up recovery during hospitalization for acute lower respiratory tract infections (ALRI) and to decrease the levels of morbidity at 6 weeks after discharge. The study was conducted in the Central Hospital of Maputo (CHM), Mozambique, from 1995 to 1997.

Methods: Children aged 6-72 months with ALRI admitted to the paediatric wards of the CHM were assigned to a supplementation group (n = 71, receiving 200000 IU of vitamin A) or a control group (n = 93, receiving a placebo).

Tissue engineering of ligament and tendon healing.

Ligaments and tendons are bands of dense connective tissue that mediate normal joint movement and stability. Injury to these structures may result in significant joint dysfunction because they either heal by production of inferior matrix or do not heal at all. The process of ligament and tendon healing is complex and the roles of cellular and biochemical mediators continue to be elucidated.

The effect of intravenous lactated Ringer's solution versus 0.9% sodium chloride solution on serum osmolality in human volunteers.

Unlabelled: Animal studies have shown that large volumes of IV lactated Ringer's solution (LR) decrease serum osmolality, thereby increasing cerebral water. These studies have led to recommendations to limit LR to avoid cerebral edema in neurosurgical patients. Eighteen healthy human volunteers aged 20-48 yr received 50 mL/kg LR over 1 h on one occasion and 0.

Early expression of marker genes in the rabbit medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments: the use of different viral vectors and the effects of injury.

Gene therapy is a technique that may offer advantages over current methods of cytokine delivery to ligaments. To determine if implanted genes could be expressed in normal and injured knee ligaments, the medial collateral ligament and anterior cruciate ligament were studied in 18 rabbits. A retroviral ex vivo technique using allograft medial collateral ligament and anterior cruciate ligament fibroblasts and an adenoviral in vivo technique were compared as methods for delivering the LacZ marker gene to knee ligaments.